This is why The Apprentice's Reece Donnelly left the show

10 Feb 2023

digitalspy.com

The Apprentice spoilers follow.

The Apprentice said goodbye to another candidate tonight (February 9), after a task abroad that went about... as well as The Apprentice tasks abroad normally go. But this episode actually saw two candidates leave the process.

This time, the business hopefuls were whisked away to Dubai to provide a corporate away day. Each team was set up with a client, and they had to negotiate a price and deliver everything they've asked for.

As the candidates landed in the country, however, Reece was nowhere to be seen, which has led to multiple press reports regarding the circumstances.

Fremantle/Ray BurmistonBBC

Related: The Apprentice's fired candidate shares pregnancy

In the boardroom, it was mentioned that he "wasn’t able to take part in the task and has subsequently left the process." A spokesperson for the show similarly told Digital Spy that: "Reece was unable to continue in the process, this was discussed and agreed between Reece and programme-makers."

"I was presented with a choice, you know, and I had to listen to my body,” Reece told STV News. “It was filmed last year, and I don’t want to ruin the TV magic for anyone so I won’t say much about that – but sometimes you have to choose your health over wealth.”

Back to the task, Rochelle became PM for one team, despite not knowing much about the corporate world, while Victoria successfully put herself forward as PM for the other team, after saying she knows both corporate away days and Dubai really well.

the apprentice s17,09022023,dubai corporate hospitality,6,mark, marnie, megan,sohail, victoria,team sat in the boardroom during task de brief

Freemantle LimitedBBC

Related: BBC responds to Apprentice racial abuse allegation

Rochelle's team went for a more traditional cultural experience in the desert, while Victoria's team wanted to go premium and high-octane with jet skis and an expensive DJ masterclass.

Unfortunately, both teams' clients wanted the opposite experience to what was being sold, and fell short of how much they wanted to get for the tickets, especially Victoria's team who barely got half their asking price.

After some further mess-ups, including booking the DJ for a lot more than they needed him for, both teams' experiences descended into chaos when it came to food.

the apprentice s17,09022023,dubai corporate hospitality,6,rochelle, simba, avi, brad, joe, danni,team sat in the boardroom during task de brief

Freemantle LimitedBBC

Rochelle's team served burnt or undercooked food, hadn't factored in dietary requirements at all, and had to limit the water they were serving. Victoria's team took ages to get their food ready, but seemed to take the sting out of it with the impressive DJ experience.

In the end, Victoria's client wanted a 20 per cent refund, leaving them with a profit of around £550, while Rochelle's client was unhappy to the tune of a 60 per cent refund, giving them a final profit of just under £450.